COURT: 'I slept as Ross was murdered', claim

SARFRAZ Ali has denied dumping his bloody clothes on his sister-in-law after taking part in the killing of Ross Parker, a court heard.

SARFRAZ Ali has denied dumping his bloody clothes on his sister-in-law after taking part in the killing of Ross Parker, a court heard.SARFRAZ Ali has denied dumping his bloody clothes on his sister-in-law after taking part in the killing of Ross Parker, a court heard.

Giving evidence for the first time, Ali (25), of Harris Street, Peterborough, told Northampton Crown Court he had slept from about midnight to 3.30am on the night of the killing.

Ross bled to death at about 1.20am on Friday, September 21, last year, after being stabbed with a large knife.

He had been walking along a cyclepath near Bourges Boulevard with his girlfriend, Nicola Foot, when he was attacked by a gang.

Yesterday, Ali told the court he had fallen asleep on a bed at 122 Cromwell Road, the home of Shaied Nazir (22), after returning from Liquid nightclub, in New Road.

He said he had been out with his co-accused Nazir, Ahmed Ali Awan (22), of Gladstone Street, and Ziaraff Mahrad (21), of Cromwell Road.

But Icah Peart QC, defending Mahrad, said Ali had been involved in the attack on Ross, and had taken his blood-stained clothes to the home of his sister-in-law, Asia Bibi, of Harris Street.

Mr Peart said: "What happened to the boots you were wearing on the night of Ross Parker's death?"

Ali replied: "They are here (in court)."

Mr Peart said: "You didn't give them to Asia Bibi did you, in a bag so she could get rid of them?"

Ali replied: "No."

Mr Peart said that after leaving Liquid nightclub the four defendants had gone to Nazir's garage, but Ali denied going to the garage, and told the court that Awan had gone home.

Mr Peart said: "Your evidence is that you went into the house and went to sleep. It's rubbish isn't it?"

Ali replied: "No".

Mr Peart said that in covert recordings made in a police van following Ali's arrest, he is heard to say: "I'm going to say I didn't go, I was asleep. Stick to this story, understand."

Ali said: "At that time Shaied (Nazir) and Ahmed (Awan) were talking about what they had said in their interviews. I wanted to make it clear that this was what I had said and I wasn't going to change it."

Mr Peart said: "This was the false story you were going to tell police and you were encouraging the others to stick to that story and back you up, weren't you?"

Ali replied: "No."

Mr Peart said that Mahrad tried to push Ali off Ross as he was "putting the boot in", but Ali denied the claim.

Ali, Mahrad, Nazir and Awan deny murder. The trial continues.

Wife leaves accused

SARFRAZ Ali denied his wife had left him because she was frightened of him and his family, the court heard.

Ali (25), of Harris Street, told the court he had lived with his wife since they married in September 2000.

But the jury heard that Ali's wife had left their home last Friday, and had not been seen by him since.

Ali told the court he and his wife were living together at the time of Ross's death, but were not talking.

Mr Peart said: "You returned home on the night of Ross's death at about six o'clock in the morning. When you got home, what did you do with the clothes you were wearing?"

Ali replied: "I hung them up in the bedroom".

Mr Peart said: "You left your boots in the bedroom, and they would have been there for your wife to see when she got up in the morning. They were blood-stained and cut weren't they?"

Ali replied: "No, they weren't".

Mr Peart said: "After a night out like the one you told us about, you wouldn't normally get up until about lunch time, but on the day following Ross Parker's death you got up considerably earlier.

"Your wife caught you talking on the telephone during that morning didn't she, and you were very nervous throughout that weekend?"

Ali replied: "I had no reason to be".

Mr Peart said: "The fact is that you were and your nervousness manifested itself to your wife."

Ali replied: "I wasn't nervous at all".

Expert translator labels Pc's translation 'not accurate'

A SECRETLY-recorded conversation in which Shaied Nazir admits carrying out a killing was misinterpreted, the court heard.

Northampton Crown Court was told that the recording was made in a bugged police van after Nazir (22) was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Pc Umar Siddique has told the court that, during the course of a conversation with Nazir's younger brother Wyed, knives are mentioned, and Nazir said: "The one I killed him with, they found that".

But giving evidence yesterday, expert translator Ayaz Mahmood said he had listened to that part of the tape more than 200 times, and concluded that Pc Siddique's translation was not accurate. Mr Mahmood said Nazir had actually said: "They have found the one he was killed with".

The court heard that in another part of the recording, Sarfraz Ali is heard talking about going to prison. Pc Siddique translated the passage as: "Say all four of us did it. We will go down together and you are going to get 20 years, even though we hit him from behind".

But Mr Mahmood said he did not hear "hitting from behind" or "20 years".

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